Today I would like to draw your attention how to effectively dry solvent based ink system because still there are some applications such as automotive decals, outdoor signage and many industrial applications where UV ink system is still not successful and screen printers are forced to use solvent inks.

Many screen printers so called themselves modern still use those outdated racking system till today when there are cost saving solutions like Wicket Dryer available easily from Grafica. Wicket dryer is not only effective in drying solvent inks at high speed but also reduces your rejection and electrical consumption drastically.

Wicket dryer is very useful for slow drying solvent based inks which requires longer drying time before stacking simultaneously maintaining high printing speeds above 2000/Hour which otherwise is not practical or expensive using conveyor based Hot Air Dryers.

It is also useful and practical for heat sensitive substrates mainly used for Printing Ceramic Decals, Automotive Decals, Labels & Stickers, in general very useful for heat sensitive substrates. Due to fairly low temperatures and efficient air flow with extended ambient cooling fans ensure perfect dimension stability thus delivers perfect registration accuracy.

A persistent problem associated with screen printing is to provide sufficient drying time using ambient air prior to stacking to avoid smearing of newly printed stock. Immediate stacking is undesirable for several reasons. A slight shifting of the stock during the stacking process or when the stock is moved for storage only results in smearing the ink. Premature stacking before drying is complete, results in the sheets sticking together. Excessive drying time is unacceptable for most smaller operations having limited plant space since stock must be removed from the premises relatively soon after printing to make room for additional stock.

Where ambient air is used, the drying time is limited to the length of the conveyor travel. Accordingly, various types of drying systems have been developed to increase the drying time of newly printed work prior to stacking. One of the most inexpensive and efficient types of dryers yet developed is the wicket dryer. A wicket dryer comprises a plurality of rows of wickets, each row supporting a separate piece of stock, which are mounted at spaced intervals along the upper and lower surfaces of a dryer frame for travel.

The primary advantage of a wicket dryer, in addition to the low costs of purchase and operation, is the excellent and efficient use of plant space. The artificial dryer also requires large amounts of energy which adds to the cost of printing.

The wicket dryer, however, carries the stock upright as it dries with ambient air, greatly increasing the number of pieces of stock that can be dried at one time in a given space as compared to belt dryers. When a row of wickets reaches either end of the dryer frame, it is pivoted to the opposite surface of the frame. The row of wickets is depicted in a position mid-way between the upper and lower surfaces of the frame.

Complete electrical & electronic components are of high quality standards to avoid failures and breakdowns thus minimizes maintenance. The machine is designed with proper exhaust system to throw away solvent laden air from the closed heating chamber thus minimize solvent smell inside the shop-floor and maintains healthy and safe working environment.

Now available in smaller lengths with 500 wickets a space saving solutions. You can also order any custom size lengths to suit your workspace.

With 500 wickets and printing speed of 2000 per hour on our automatic screen printing press will have rotation cycle of 15 mins, with 1000/imp rotation cycle will increase to 30 mins for complete natural drying process of any solvent based inks. A complete replacement solution in compare to manual traditional racking system.